Morning Bell: The Quiet Education Overhaul

Yesterday, President Obama delivered a major speech on education in an effort to garner support for his Race to the Top grant program and his push for national education standards and tests. The President’s remarks came on the heels of a speech delivered by Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Tuesday at the National Press Club, during which Duncan attempted to paint the Administration’s policies as part of a “quiet revolution.”

Duncan certainly got the quiet part right. Since his Administration came into office, President Obama has quietly been reworking the country’s education system, doing an end-run around normal legislative procedure. With the U.S. Department of Education’s (DOE) funding doubled thanks to the so-called “stimulus,” the Administration has little need or incentive to bother negotiating its education agenda through Congress. Instead, the DOE is using that windfall of funding and power to stage a significant overhaul of local schools; dangling grant money before cash-strapped states on the condition they adopt key pieces of the Obama education agenda. And this is all happening without public consideration, even though it means that parents will now have to trek to Washington to petition an unaccountable bureaucracy if they want to see changes in their children’s curriculum. Knocking on the door at the DOE (the lowest rated federal department) is unlikely to produce a response.

The push for national education standards and tests began last year when the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) began writing standards for what all U.S. students should learn in school. Meanwhile, the Obama Administration has been backing the effort with federal dollars, pressing Race to the Top grants in front of fiscally starved states while making it clear that they also intend to make Title I funding (the largest federal education program at $14.5 billion) contingent upon acceptance of these standards. A number of states have signed onto the standards to position themselves for federal grants—without the American people ever having the opportunity to weigh in on such a drastic change that will soon be coming to a school near you.

Secretary Duncan’s use of the term revolution was also right on the mark. The federal government’s ever-expanding role in education, and now the Obama Administration’s push for national standards and tests, threatens the long-established right of parents to direct their children’s education and confuses a proper understanding of federalism. States model federalism for children by setting standards, tests, and curriculum. But that important lesson in self-government will be another unintended casualty of this standards overhaul now that the federal government is overreaching to set the educational terms for local schools—contrary to the spirit of the Constitution and the letter of federal law, which expressly prohibits federal involvement in standards, tests, and curriculum.

But it’s not just our deep-rooted principal of federalism that is at stake in President Obama’s education agenda; it’s also our ongoing pursuit of excellence that hangs in the balance.

Secretary Duncan has referred to state standards as “50 different goal posts.” That comment makes clear that the Administration’s push for national standards is geared more toward uniformity than with excellence and more concerned with standardization than minimum standards of quality and rigor. States that currently have high quality state standards—such as Massachusetts, California, Virginia, and Indiana—offer exemplary models, creating competitive pressure for other states to raise their academic standing.

But when national standards are enshrined, they’ll slump toward the middle of the pack—standardizing mediocrity and generating the kind of nationwide uniform data that will be more useful to national bureaucrats than to parents. Current standards and tests, developed at significant taxpayer expense by each state, currently provide the kind of information parents need. What’s needed is more transparency about that information and for parents to be empowered to make choices on that information.

The Obama Administration’s plans would dramatically change our country’s education system without a single vote in Congress and without the American people having the opportunity to debate the issue. But this one-size-fits-all approach from Washington is not a fait accompli. State leaders in Texas, Virginia, Minnesota, and Indiana have voiced clear concerns about losing state autonomy under this federal standards overhaul.
National standards would not make public schools accountable to families; rather, they would make schools responsive to bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. Moreover, national standards and tests would be a one-size-fits-all approach that tends toward mediocrity and standardization, undercutting the pockets of excellence and the principle of federalism on which this nation is founded.

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This is the wrong kind of revolution! You can't even call it a revolution! It's just a bunch of bureaucrats and accountants pretending like they know how to teach! What we need is to do AWAY with the high-risk assessments. They cause a narrowing of curriculum in which certain subjects are "more important" than others. This system has never worked in education because children are NOT robots. You can't just look at a failing student and say "teach them better." Right now, if a kid isn't good at math and reading…they are stigmatized as "failing students." News flash: there's more to human intelligence than reading and arithmetic! Until we relax the stigmatization of "being wrong" and loosen our strangle hold on which subjects are "more important" than others…..we will never see success in education.

I was in the classroom for over 30 years. I saw the damage Jimmy Carter's Department of Education did to education. More "Centralized Planning" control from Washington, more senseless paper work, etc. The worst part, LESS EDUCATION!

These Marxists have to be stopped before we look like the DDR or the Soviet Union.

For the amount of money that's been spent on education in the past 25 years, we should have the smartest kids in the world. It's sad, for us, that, we as a country have allowed our education system to be taken over by the government, unions, and bueraucrats and a politically correct agenda forced on our children. It's like we've allowed everything to be dumbed down to the lowest common denominator and wonder why our kids can't think for themselves, lack problem solving skills and can't figure simple percents or make change. It's even crazier that we try to give condoms to kids in kintergarden. Parents set the agenda for learning and not the government, national standards would be a disgrace.

Just another in a long, long and growing longer list of socialist programs being instituted by our first socialist administration. I wonder if any current conservative members of Congress or (hopefully) soon-to-be-elected conservative members of Congress will address these funding issues and de-fund this program in the DofE. If conservatives do not use their hoped for victory in November to dramatically change the way things are currently going in Washington, we are going to fall off the cliff very, very soon. The schools are where the socialists always like to start first.

Yesterday on "The View" he said he really doesn't care if WE THE PEOPLE agree or not he THINKS he knows what is best for the nation, what arrogance. November needs to be a changing point or this great Nation as we know it today, will be lost.

Had it not been for the "Stupidy and Greedy Nature" of the Bush administration we would not be having these conversations at this time. What is most unfortunate is those Congresspersons who signed off on getting us into this position are blocking any attempts to make corrections. It is easier to blame that to fix and repair.

Is it too dramatic, too alarmist, to say that these moves on the parents and our schools is another move to destroy our freedom?

With each passing day we see more clearly how the stimulus money fits the agenda of secular-socialism. President Obama wants the central government to control our health, our energy resources, and the education of our children.

As we look to the elections in November we need to learn who the candidates are who are aware of the attempt to bribe and seduce the institutions that support freedom. We'll need to learn who knows and supports the constituion and who will courageously defend it.

The governors must unite to stop the at intrusion of Washington, no matter what the cost in money. Our fundamental rights cannot be lost. With time and imagination and courage we can improve the education our children. This cannot happen when bureaucrats in Washington are telling teachers and parents at the state and local levels how to educate their children.

It's another outrageous move by this administration that must be stopped.

What I am concerned about is how this will affect homeschoolers. I have been telling my husband since the Governors meeting they are coming after homeschoolers. That is the only group they can not influence what they are teaaching and learning. This has me very, very concerned!

Obama and Duncan knew just what they were doing when they saw that schools could not support their schools in this poor economy (which they have done nothing to mend). They dangle money in front of us and our state DOEs scramble to make changes hoping that they will receive a one-time stash. When we don't receive the dollars, we'll have to deal with the reform laws with our own dollars.

I find it strange that with the stimulus money that was intended to keep teachers employed – according to BO on the View, that school districts in North Mexico (oops – New Mexico) are talking about suing the state for more money. This is after another 3.2 cut in education allocation by the state. There is just not the money in New Mexico since about 50% of the population is not working, does not want to work, or illegal and do not pay into the tax base.

Our education system is broken, results are pitiful, and throwing more money at the problem does not fix this (we have done this for years and years with no improvement). Education is not a political issue but must become an American cultural issue. The output depends on what we as Americans want from the system. This has not been established.

Florida has shown good gains, and other states have made gains as well. Maybe we need to bring the successful education systems into a conference and determine meaningful change that would be implemented nationwide. Get rid of the union base in education, add accountability and incentives where needed. There is much to be done in our education system if it is going to be improved.

In my estimation, the quiet revolution is actually the teacher's union full employment act. This is another opportunity to indoctrinate our children in the benefits of government control of all aspects of our lives.

My recommendation is to pull funding; and return control to the parents and the local school boards.

What this administration is doing to education is threat to every child of school age. It is more of the "dumbing down" of America so everyone is equal. Who is going to discover the cure for the diseases that are now incurable? Who is going to make the huge discoveries and invent new things when our children are adults and are all equalllly ignorant? This is just more of this government trying to take over every facet of our lives.

Once again Big Brother is encrouching in the formation of children's education, a role most societies ascribe to families. Certainly a ruinous approach to education, individual excellence, and creativity. On the contrary, GO VOUCHERS!

(1) Because satan is alive and well on planet earth AND he knows his time is limited. God is coming back to earth soon and satan's power will be extinguished. and

(2) we, as God's people have failed, and are failing, to Pray. All these "catastrophies" are being allowed because WE have failed, and continue to fail, to Pray. II Chronicles 7:14, and,

(3) we, as God's people, have failed to exercise our right to vote, and to convince others to vote for people who have integrity. We have been influenced by the "hollywood" venier, and the "persuasiveness" of political marketing, rather than THINK, RESEARCH and vote – as well as vote intelligently – according to our faith.

Our entire education system K – 12 and then our colleges and universities have all been corrupted for over 50 years. This has all been a key to the PROGRESSIVE agenda for nearly100 years. All of this has to be STOPPED NOW. What do you propose do9ing?

A clear context for what is happening are Mr. Duncan's own words: " a good education is the one and only way to overcome the differences of wealth, background and race that divide us deny us our future." In other words, redistribution of wealth would be a good thing and a necessary pre-condition for progress. The word "revolution"has an antecedent that is not accidental but part of the basic philosophy of Mr. Duncan. At the November 2006 World Education Conference in Caracus, Venezuela, William Ayers, a frequent visitor to the Obama White House declared to Hugo Chavez: "We share the belief that education is the motor-force of revolution."

Great! The bomber is now destroying every choice, individual freedom that "America" had to offer us…..the hammer and sickle will so sneakily replace every freedom we had, freedom of education with political government propaganda, "Federal God, may I." The meaning of Communism is not the sweet distribution of health and "progressivism" they fool you into believing. Iit is stealing every poor citizen's freedom, and resources to use for campaigning to win world power for their buddies of corruption. The federal take-over of "education" means you will do everything their way or jail or death as we have seen before in dictator rulers. Wake up, naive American citizen, look at the enermies of our freedom. The liars, the thieves of our money, our bloodshed, our families. STOP IT NOW. SUPPORT THE PEOPLE WITH INTEGRITY WHO ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING…..HERITAGE, CITIZENS UNITED, LISTEN AND LEARN FROM GLENN BECK BEFORE THEY STEAL ALL FROM US.

The unfortunate fact is that most parents still believe the educational system their children are enrolled in is the same as it was when they went to school 30+ years ago.

Just as an hourglass fills gradually with sand, the children in the public education system are slowly but surely filled with progressive propaganda.

Parents have no way of knowing what is happening in school even if they stay involved with their kids through homework and parent/teacher meetings. Only on occasion do parents find something to take action on, and those are usually the most egregious examples of ineptitude or liberal propaganda (such as teaching kindergardeners about sex).

Protesting offensive curriculum and holding teacher's feet to the fire on the most offensive issues is like shaking the educational hourglass. It may slow things down a bit, but doesn't stop it.

Now the Obama Educational plan is taking action that will bolt that hourglass to the table so it can never be turned again.

In the face of overwhelming burdens, such as Taxes, Regulations and Retirement; the most important extrordinary effort a parent can make is the committment to sending their children to private education or home school. The "faith" and "values" component used to be sufficient to motivate me; today's generation can now add Academic performance as motivation to make the sarcrifices to raise their children in the best possible environment.

Let’s save some money and abolish all State Governors and State Legislatures. They are poor duplication of government, add extra burden to citizens and most often work against the rule of the Federal Government.

Just think one system, one head of state, one set of laws run by the Ruling Class. These worked well for Europe and now look where they are at.

Let’s dump all state, county, city, and town governments and just use what we have in place now at the Federal level. Just think of all the savings on taxes and administration cost.

Maybe we could go one step further and have a world government, boy you can only dream.

Why have Congress? I fully expect Obama will one day explain how an enormous a savings would be realized if we simply eliminated all congressional positions and related staff and let him and his czars run things. Gee, sort of the way things are now aren't they? Goodbye freedom!

Wasn't it Arne Duncan's wife, Ann?, once the education secretary until Glenn Beck pointed out that the two people she most admired was Mother Teresa and Mao Tse Tung. Really? Mao Tse Tung?….the communistic murderer of millions of people?!

There are so many former Underground Weathermen members in this Obama administration. Take a peak at the Underground Weathermen manifesto….it will make you sick with fear…..and a plan that could soon be the American way of life whether we like it or not. Is this type of indoctrination what we want taught in American schools.

Concerned Americans who still have school age children; if this is yet another agenda that is rammed through without any input from the people, I suggest that you do all you can to withdraw your children from the public school system and home school.

Terrific article! My first response is to implore parents to home school. But that is probably unreasonable for a number of reasons, the biggest two being the modern economy that requires both parents to work and a culture that tempts same parents into spending their leftover takehome pay on their childrens' happiness.

Have we been set up or what? What would it take to make independence fashionable and possible again? Our personal and family well being may ultimately depend on it.

Not only would this "standardization" result in lower standards, but there is a grave danger when the federal government, especially THIS federal government, puts itself in charge of curriculum. This is the very definition of "indoctrination." Which is precisely why this particular revolution in how our schools operate is being kept quiet.

This article is spot on regarding the dangers of ever-increasing government control over our education system. It is frightening to have a left-leaning federal government dictating what, when and how our children are taught in the public schools that were initially designed to be under direct control of parents and communities. We once had an education system that was the envy of every other nation. That was before big government and socialist efforts to control our children's minds, were allowed to grow and gain strength in our public schools. President Reagan as well as Senator Bob Dole rightly aimed to defund, dissolve and remove the Federal Department of Education, but they were unable to gain sufficient congressional support to make it happen. The renewed possibility to do that job now rests in the hands of We The People, through our combined and unified voices as Tea Party members and other grassroots activists. I urge all concerned individuals to direct their activist groups toward making dissolution of the Federal Department of Education a primary goal. As a unified voice, we are large enough to overcome any lobbying efforts that would resist us. In my research toward publishing a twelve-issue blog disclosing the problems of our public education system, I discovered just how deeply socialist influences have become entrenched in the education of our children. I encourage every reader of this article to do that same kind of research and then make the necessary effort to return our children's education to where it belongs — in the hands of the parents and local communities of our great nation!

The liberal socialist agenda of dumbing down of America continues, quietly and effectively as the progressives intended it to be.

Parents and taxpayers are threatened with school closings, over crowded classrooms, cuts in programs and athletics, fewer buses routes and a host of other "inconvenient" issues to bring them in line for federal hand outs. All the while the teachers union is busy bribing their members into tenure prostitution with "benefits" far beyond the average working family’s normal occupational and retirement potential.

Government schools supported by taxpayers, regulated by local and federal bureaucrats, and basically controlled by the teachers unions have become an enthroned educational shadow industry for the benefit of a group of elitists within the DOE who chose what our children should learn and what must not be taught or denied them.

It is a part of Obama's plan to redistribute the wealth. It bothers Obama that some communities are wealthier than others and are thus able to fund their schools better than others, or that some communities place a higher value on education and fund their schools better than others simply because their residents are willing to pay higher property taxes. He wants to take that money and redistribute it nationally. It's part of the "haves versus have nots" mentality that drives this regime.

The plan is to fundamentally change America. It means to go from local property taxes being used to support local schools to all property taxes being used to support all schools. We will no longer see local school referendums to be voted on locally in a direct democratic vote; instead, we will have national property tax hikes implemented by unaccountable and untouchable politicians in Washington, D.C.

It is apparent that this regime's goal is to eliminate all vestiges of states rights and fix all power and authority in the hands of the statist elite in Washington, D.C. Obama says we have much to learn from the Chinese Communists — like consolidating all power in a central politburo? What's next, 50 new czars to replace all the state governors?

Wake up America! This man is a student of Marxist-Lenist-Maoism. The Chicoms used class warfare to achieve its ends, and Obama is taking a lesson from that school and applying it here in America: the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (????????? — Wu Chan Jie Ji Wen Hua Da Ge Ming).

China's Cultural Revolution, lasting 10 long years (1966-1976) fundamentally transformed the nation, and in the process an estimated 2 million people were killed outright and another 10 million or more died from the ruined economy.

We must understand that Obama is using every means to divide the people and pit them one against the other. It is no coincidence that this regime's mantra is "Never let a crisis go to waste." It mirrors the People's Daily headline at the height of the Cultural Revolution: "There is Chaos Under Heaven—the Situation Is Excellent."

Read the article at the link listed below, and as you read about the Cult of Mao, think about the parallels in the Cult of Obama.

Obama seems determined to stir up resentments among people of different races, genders, social classes, religions, geographic locations, and any other way that people can be divided into groups. We may end up with a cultural revolution that goes further awry than that in China.

Is there any time that this President has presented and proceeded with legislation that has gone through the legal process that our founding fathers structured?

This person is beginning to act like a Monarch not a President. A wave of the wand and it is law? The constant sneaky deception and end around maneuvers that we must keep alert for shows me that this President is well into his personal agenda and must be stopped…..His disconcert for the American people is becoming well apparent and a major irritation as well.

I have a deeper concern … How about the hidden agendas that are included such as indoctrination with tolerance with no boundaries. In particular the indoctrination that homosexuality and sexual freedom and sex with objects is normal and ok – despite the ongoing under emphasized studies about the health risks let alone the psychological challenges of a free style sex life. While they argue they will train children in STD's, they will also be peddling condoms and drugs which give a false sense of security to young people.

The moms and dads in Montana grappling with so called Pediatric Standards for sex ed is exactly what Obama is including in his silent rework of education. Taking it over by Obama and his administration means our children will be more knowledgeable about sex, homosexual sex, sexual positions and sex with objects, and tolerance for whatever insane lifestyle people want to lead than any other practical educational element such as math, english or plain old suffering through the hardships to benefit in life (that spoken on behalf of our veterans).

Why is it that teaching our children about sex in Kindergarten and homosexual sex by 1st grade is ok? (see video for reference: http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2010/0… ) Why is it that there is little or nothing I can do that will have an impact to stop this madness!?

So now the states that meet their own written standard and tests are going to be the national standard?? Has anyone figured out that some of those states have standards and tests set lower then the states not meeting them? California's testing standards are lower then many other states, making it easier for students to pass, and teachers to write curriculum standards that are easily met. Why would states with harder standards want to lower their standards, rather then encouraging and pushing students to meet the standard they have. Once again I am not surprised that the federal government fails to see the nuances of this issue.

Right now DOE is spending abuot $60 billion a year to help educate our children and the level of performance is decreasing. Why extend or increase a program that is a faliure? But, then is seems that facts and histroy have little to do with this administration's ideas or actions.

"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to remain silent."

Tell me has this Education Bill already gone into effect? What can I do to stop this mess?? I am agrandmother and wqrk as a Teacher Assistant and Bus Driver I have plenty to say about the way we teach our children now. I would not want this to take effect.

Have you personally researched the common core funding? Have you talked to NGA or CCSSO or ED (the correct abbreviation for the United States Education Department [DOE is the Department of Energy])? If so, then you'd know that there were no, repeat NO, federal dollars used to create the Common Core State Standards Initiative. Your repeated suggestion that, "the Obama Administration has been backing the effort with federal dollars" if simply false – stop already – that horse is dead.

Believe it or not I'm a huge states rights fan (Arizona has a right to protect its boarder if the feds won't – they got screwed by the courts) but the federal government has been involved in the education of its citizens since before the creation of ED. Currently federal education dollars account for almost 9% of all eduction funding so saying things like, "contrary to the spirit of the Constitution and the letter of federal law, which expressly prohibits federal involvement in standards, tests, and curriculum" may make for great rhetoric – it doesn't accurately portray what's going on. If you'd like the feds to remove current funding of state assessments listen to the howl that will rise from state capitals around the country.

And while we're at it stop the Title I hysteria – I've talked to Hill staffers and DC lobbyists alike – and while the idea of tying adoption to Title I funding has been floated in some corridors, there's a real understanding that doing so would be political suicide for Congress and the administration – it's just not going to happen.

Bottom line: what's wrong with a common set of standards used by schools around the country? Afraid Hector, Raul, and Jose will catch up to Johnny and Suzy?

The United States is one of the last remaining countries in the world not to recognize that all kids – ALL – should be educated to the same standard, regardless of zip code. Families who can afford Westchester or Fairfax counties or Chicago's North Shore have long had advantages in public schooling that NYC, DC, and Chicago Public have not – that's wrong. Singapore, Finland, and Korea – three countries that lead the world in education understand the value of such national standards – why should the US ranked 24th in Math, and 26th in Science (according to recent PISA assessments) think our system has so much going for it? It's time we understood that in the 21st Century our students will need to compete with their peers around the globe and preparing them under a patchwork set of standards – some so inferior they're laughable – is in no one's best interest.

And just so we're clear – check out the Fordham's recent ranking of current state standards to the common core – they've found that all but a few states will significantly raise standards by adopting the common core – hardly the "slump to the middle of the pack" that you're predicting.

We have a choice in American education – we can continue the ways of the past until the 60's and 70's probably served us well – and continue to be mired in the middle of the pack in math and science (behind such leading educational powerhouses as Iceland, Hungary, and France (France? Really? How disappointing to be beaten by the French in anything); or we can realize it's time to change the education paradigm in this country and prepare all kids – ALL kids – to compete and collaborate with their peers around the globe. The choice is ours but the future is theirs.

Join the Tea Party and lets defund the DOE, Every thing that the Union touches turns to money (hidden) for their own retirement. No one who works nine months out of the year should get retirement at the normal time,Should have to work until seventy-five before retiring.You will never see another Black Preident for a LONG LONG time, nor Democrat…. see you in DC on the 28th August…..

In the government's view, you can never spend too much on indoctrination if you desire mild-mannered, docile, easily managed, conforming little worker bees. That this ideal differs from the parents of the child is irrelevant for government since they are educating the children for their purposes, not the parents'. Thus, the need for education to be a federal program.

If you want to have your children educated to your standards, you will either have to eliminate the Federal department or afford private education.

in the current situation, whomever might think that true and full education has anything to do with learning concepts and skills of value is missing the point. It is mere indoctrination into how the government wants children to think and behave. The ability to read, write, and do maths is part of the ancillary issues. Until education is pulled back from any centralised government, it will always be thus.

Once again, The Heritage Foundation has illuminated another ominous development with the current administration.

After reading the article a question came to my mind: If the Federal government is able to establish itself controlling the standards and testing in our schools, then how long will it be before the Federal government controls the actual content of what is being taught to our children? The answer, it seems to me, is clear. Once uniform standards and tests are adopted, then a uniform curriculum will naturally evolve, and while some future administrations will respect and cultivate the American tradition of independent thinking, as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, there will be other administrations that will shape, edit, and falsify our history and what is taught to our children so as to establish themselves as the purveyors of truth.

Just another guaranteed failure… like all the plans in the past. For fifty years, as the greater the loss of local community control, and lack of parental accountability, quality decreased proportionally.

We have increased spending per capita up to $23,000 per student in Newark, yet, the dropout rate decreases.

Now the manta is “better teachers”, whatever that means? The more entitlements perks we give to the poor, the less they learn, and the more enslaved they are.

Want to increase the skills of students, make them, their parents and extended family accountable… and this can only be achieved by eliminating the entitlements.

The poor will only free themselves from slavery, when this number one lesson is learned.

I am an educator and a conservative. I state that up front because I don't agree with many who have commented before me, and I want you to know that I'm not the "enemy."

I don't doubt that the current adminsitration is expanding the control of the federal government over the states' responsibility to establish educational standards. I want to remind the readers that our last President created "No Child Left Behind" that was a travesty of federal interference that prevented states from adequately adressing the educational issues peculiar to their constituency.

What I would like to have read in the above article was a point by point discussion of the Obama Administration's proposed "standards" and the measures that would be used to evaluate schools' attainment of those standards.

I'd also like to remind readers that setting minimum standards of achievement doesn't mean that states with higher standards can't keep their standard. In that case, it is not dumbing down education. The minimum standards are aimed at raising the level of content in certain curricular areas where the current level doesn't reflect the "best practices" demonstrated in higher achieving school systems. The problem is in the assessment of academic progress and in the "punishment" – withholding precious funding – that makes marginal education because poor education.

In closing, I would ask again that columnists provide detailed discusiion of the factas in the issues, and not just invective.

More justification for home schooling from elementary through high school, then over seas for scientific studies. Don't these bizarre aforementioned proposals give credence that intelligence and education don't necessarily go hand in hand?

As I have always believed before and after the election of Obama, he has no interest in the public's well-being, just his own self-serving singular goals. He is a monster like Mussolini and Stalin. This man's agenda must be halted before we are all destitute and fighting, (literally), for our lives.

There is nothing more disheartening to a teacher than a curriculum aimed at servicing the lowest common denominator of society ( IQ 50) over which they have no control. This is frequently put together by politically motivated "Experts from Afar" that are so ignorant of history, local needs, student motivation, and teacher skills, that any teacher worth their salt will bolt. This leaves mindless airheads, robots and whiny rule addicted bureaucrats that have no clue and no way forward other than infighting.

The reason standard tests don't work is that society does not function well with a "standard curriculum". Some students need and are best serviced by teaching spherical trig,or 3D modeling, some cities need basic shop and accounting skills. What no one needs are the blatant class hatreds of some bigoted socialist dilettante and totally clueless (__xxx___) like Obama

Setting national standards based on tests, decreases the ability of schools to explore alternative avenues in providing a well-rounded education. They teach to test, and the children gain minimal understanding of the material. The current education system is flawed in its management. If they are saying California has high standards, let me explain some examples of the current system.

My daughter was having problems with school, turning in and completing work, taking tests, etc. We were involved and helped her everyday with homework, organizing, but allowed her to experience consequences of inaction. Her grades seemed alright, but then we were finding evidence of incomplete work hidden in her room. We found out that she was not turning in her work, but yet was receiving a minimum grade of 50%. How is that? She was allowed to retake her tests to improve her grade, but they were identical tests. All she had to do was memorize the answers without understanding the material.

When asked about how this is possible, and how this is good for a child, we were told that without giving a child a second opportunity for tests or applying a minimum of grade percentage of 50%, to incomplete assignments, it is too difficult for children to improve on their grades before the end of the semester. They were preventing children from failing, but at what cost. They also were looking to change the grading scale where 60% was a “C” letter grade.

This is so wrong. We don’t want to see our children fail, but without failure how are they to learn perseverance and have a sense of accomplishment. Following these standards, only diminishes the value of education.

There is nothing wrong with keeping children in school for longer hours when they possibly go unsupervised after school due to both parents having to work. We also need to share tax revenue with certified private schools so that parents don't have to pay full tuition on top of the school taxes they pay. Students in the big cities don't need the summer months to bring in crops like students did when the current schedules were developed. We need to make key changes, but we also need to constantly review them to see what is working and what isn't.

This is true beyond words. As I visited our nation's Capitol last week, I was disturbed by the presentation of our nation's history. The museums have eliminated George Washington, The Pilgrims, The Puritans, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, etc., etc., etc. When I asked where this information could be found, the response was, "we begin with colonial days." That would have been fine, but all I could locate was presentations on, "Racism." The pot of racism is being stirred without Americans who love this nation ever knowing that it is happening. My heart is broken that so many children come to see and hear, but many of the lessons and stories are not given. They (?) have rewritten our nation's history without the truth underlined through legitimate facts. I returned home to discover my own local school doesn't recite The Pledge of Allegiance. I guess it was kicked out when we kicked out God by eliminating prayer.

Here's a solution that I thnk would really work well, especially in the inner cities where so many students are failing. Bring back the apprenticeships.

Here's how I see it working. Standard education emphasizing reading, writing, and math. Also bring back Physical Education, Music and Art. At age 13 or 14, assess the student by "asking them" what they would like to do. Most children at that age know what they want. Then test them to see if they have the capacity to reach their goals. For fields like chemestry, medicine, engineering, etc; have them attend schools that emphasize the skills needed for those industries. These schools could be hosted by companies that need people with those skills. And for more manual labor skills, like auto mechanics, construction workers, etc; have the students actually go to work in these industries and learn from actual workers what it takes to succeed in these fields.

The point is, one size fits all schools are not working. We need to let these young people explore what they are interested in, and find what they are good at. Nothing builds self esteme like success, and those with high self esteme go on to build strong businesses and strong families. The very backbone of the country.

I would like to add one other thing to parents. If you know of an old school, or a school warehouse that houses old school text books, try to get your hands on some of the older histroy texts. The ones printed before the progressives began rewriting our history. These books will be invaluable when it comes to restoring our history and our republic after Obama is voted out in 2012. I urge everyone to try to get these books before they are destroyed by the progressives to protect their adgenda.

I did not get time to read all previous comments, so I apologize if I am repeating, but the first thing that came to mind is if they plan to use "revisionist history" in dealing with both American History, as well as the history of the progressive movement, and history of centralized economies. If they do teach or focus on these schemas, do they plan to give an intellectually honest appraisal of their

strengths and weaknesses? Or rather to skew the opinions via obfuscation and

omissions? Will they teach that innovation is "greedy" and that free market economies are flawed and result in calamity? What will they teach about the role of government involvement in the private sector? I've seen the Inter-Baccalaureate which is the U.N. supported one and it's all about "globalism" and one world of peace and love… sounds good but totally unrealistic. Quite frankly it's indoctrination plain and simple. The way these intelligentsia throw judgement around.. (America BAD, capitalism BAD, socialism GOOD) is very contrary to training our youth to think and judge for themselves. We need to demand that their curriculum changes be posted online for the entire world to see, in their entirety. We should expect nothing less from the avowedly "transparent" administration.

We need to cut NObama off at the knees before his head swells so large it will not fit through a standard door !!! He is on a ego trip and power grab that must be stopped and the only way to do this is vote all the Democrats out of office in November !!!! If the Republicans gain a large majority in Congress Nobama will have to stop all this socialist Bull he has been spreading !!!!

I think we should elect Jan Brewer President in 2012 so we will have someone in the White House willing to make the tough decisions and is not afraid to speak her mind and stand up against anyone who challenges her or her policies !!!!!

She could show NObama how a President takes care of the American Citizens !!!!

It is obvious that Obama's goal is to nationalize every aspect of our lives under his control. The Automoblile Industry, our Banking System, Wall Street, oil production, our Healthcare and our National Regualtory System are all under his control.

He is fostering illegal immigration by suing the State of Arizona, and he is now leaning toward amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants by circumventing Congress through the use of "differed action," thus obtaining millions of registered voters who will support his policies.

His take over of the educational system is just one more major part of his path to control our lives, and evade and destroy the Constitution. All of which could lead to a dictatorship.

This is not a comment, but a request. Please tell me of a time when Heritage Foundation words have slowed Obama by as much as one mph, or turned him by as much as one degree. You do well as saying things which would embarrass him if he were capable of being embarrassed, but he's not. Dems were unable to add education money to war funding this week, and Rush Limbaugh reported today that Obama has just given the Dept of Ed not three or four billion, but ninety-eight billion out of the remaining Stimulus One funds. He seems to be on track to destroy our economy, education and health care systems, our military, and worst of all, our spirit to resist him. I expect to die resisting him.

How will the American people even know the contents or results of these tests, or the direction of which the teaching of our young is being led, when so very few Americans are aware,

"That the State of Rhode Island for years has had in effect and used the same "Illegal Immigration Law", that Arizona recently passed and is currently on the receiving end of all the unconstitutional power and money that the Federal Government can throw at it, and yet, not one word has ever been brought forth about Rhode Island?"

Until people start taking an aggressive initiative there will be nothing done to stop Obama. We as a people cannot rely on just news articles to make a change. We need news articles to know what to act on but thats it. News articles stir people and they cetaily should but until we become active to the point of contacting our Congress people we are just spinning our wheels. I don't know what it is going to take to wake people up and contact thier reps but I'm affraid until they do there will be nothing done in DC. All I hear about is people crying and complaining to each other instead of thier Congressmen and women. When all the damage is irreprable and it's too late thats when they will complain to thier reps. and the damage is already done. I think that people believe that all their reps are up ther in DC just to read about them in the newspappers and on the internet. There are a few people thats trying but nowhere near enough. When we all finally wake up I only pray that it won't be too late.

On the outset, I would like to say that I am a Christian and a republican. I myself voted for George W Bush. I mostly I would like to say that I wholeheartly support LEGAL immigration. I love hispanics and they are wonderful people. I am currently a resident of Texas and my son
attended Public school here. So, beyond most of the people receiving this article, I would say that I have some crediblity in my comment and observations that I am about to give:

In relation to this article, I would also like to point out that George W Bush did the same thing that Obama is now doing while in office in regards to education policy. Lets talk about No Child Left Behind.. Did you vote for no child left behind? No? Neither did I. Did my representative ask me about NCLB- or did he just cast an under the table quickie vote, like he did when voting on the Patriot Act? Yeah, I think that's what happened. Is it different that what Obama is doing? Well, okay, I will give Bush this credit. He used a a republican majority to pass a bill that no one really knew anything about. So, yes he used the system and did not go around it like Obama is now doing. So, for that two points for Bush. That is where the points are going to end on this subject. Read further to find out why.

Bush Was governor of Texas. A Big state with a big problem of illegal immigration and lots and lots of mexican non english speaking children. Of whom I now know of many and am friends with many. Bush came up with NCLB as governor of Texas. He had not idea how to get all these mexican speaking children to be okay and in integrated into the American System on the limited education budget. These children are called ELL's or English Language Learners and without big money and big attention, they will fall thru the cracks of the American Education System. So, voila, NCLB was born. The premise of NCLB is this; Let's change the entire system to fit illegal immigration and lets throw hundreds of millions of dollars into ELL's while completely neglecting English speaking children. After all, they speak English, they already have the advantage of these poor immigrants already.

Hence, NCLB was and is a hundred million dollars sweeping education policy build around and supporting illegal mexican immigration. And being from Texas, Bush was pretty much FOR illegal immigration as a Texan and a president. And if you must be a Bush supporter on this issue, then at least one can assert that he was very passive about illegal immigration for sure. So, If you are yourself and illegal immigrant or even a legal one, then you can thank NCLB for the hundred of millions of dollars spent by the federal government on your education. If, on the other hand, you are an English Speaking American, you can thank George Bush for
a lack luster, mediocre education at best.

Let's call it like we see it and admit the truth that dog gone it- Bush did the exact same thing we are now calling out Obama for.

Harry Truman said an education is what you gain "after you know it all." He was a reader including of the Bible and had read every book in the Independence, MO library by the time he was out of his teens. Like Lincoln, much of his education was on his own and served him well. Unfortunately Obama and his crowd have not moved on in their education past knowing it all.

Little wonder that so many caring parents are teaching at home or choosing a private education if they can afford it.

Our education system is a scam. Our teachers get paid more and more with full benefits . They have a job for life. The school system writes for more and more grant money to take trips, more money for teachers.

America should be the most educated country in the world. We blow more money per child and yet they get dummer each year.

The so called testing is another scam. All the teachers do is help the children pass the test. It's a big joke! The government thinks they are doing a great job pushing more test.

Put very simply, education will continue on it's present path until we dump the unions. Pour all the money you want into it. Money is not the problem. Most teachers can't even figure out their own paychecks. Gym teachers acting as principals, and I do mean acting, should be unacceptable. Get rid of the Dept. of Education and let States and local communities run their own schools

I hope that after the November elections, when Republicans take back the Congress, both the House and Senate, they will be able to stop the budget that goes forth to fund these programs. Congress controls the budget and that may be the first step to stopping and overturning all the damaging bills and laws this administration has implemented. I'm surprised that any states would approve the "dangling carrot" of funds with all the strings attached. Guess economic times are hard for everyone. Let's turn out to the polls this November, my friends.

People ask about, say Iceland, Japan, and what they do? They, dear friends are achievement based education. Not the reform schools with books we have. You can't teach to the lowest denominator, all you do is bring the top down. If you're a Marxist and hate cracker exceptionalism, well that's your goal anyway. November folks, can't wait to see what happens.

Uniform standard of education is the primary and most assured way of establishing and continuing a totalitarian government. When I was a student at the local university, I wrote a research paper on the question, "How was the population of Japan so quickly and uniformly convinced that the emperor was a deity?" Months of research yielded the answer: the educational system. The religious fervor that propelled the Japanese to embrace a national socialist system was made inevitable as a result of the move to a uniform curriculum. Reformed education was required at every level of society, in the schools, and in the workplace. Unauthorized ideas were not allowed as part of any curriculum. Church schools were forced to close. Textbook publishers were required to have their texts conform to the government mandated standards. One by one, textbook publishers went out of business if they published ideas contrary or critical of the government/emperor. Only one brave publisher refused to conform, and he was murdered. I have been dismayed and angered by much of the legislation passed by the Obama administration, but this move to uniform education truly alarms me.

One grave danger to the education of our nation's children is the increasing shift from academic education to using education to promote a social agenda. This not only makes our nation less competitive but can be, and has been, used to further a liberal political agenda.

We must not let the Federal Government have a monopoly on teaching our children values, thereby giving them further control of our families, our lives and our freedom!

This is another move to control the people by ensuring that the feds control the curriculum in the schools. You need to contact your state representatives and tell them to reject the fed program for schools and it's money. The more money the states take from the feds, the sooner we become a socialist country.

The Obama socialist agenda is alive and moving forward on all fronts to take the USA backward. This president is a destructor being supported by his loyal and blind minions in Congress who vote yes if given the chance or ignore things, such as this education attack, if not. We need to have more than "repeal the deal", we will need to repeal his entire time in office – maybe a rallying call of "defeat the destructor".

This article says that states that have higher educational standards would have to dumb down to meet the expectations of this nationalized system. Why is it that the most successful are always the ones who must become less so that others will appear to be or have more. Why can't the ones at the bottom be brought up to the level of the more successful? This mentality runs rampant in education, business, finances, etc. Must we all live in the ghetto to make those there feel equal? November cannot come soon enough.

We need to pray that Commander Commie can be removed from office one way or another (ineligability, impeachment etc..) WHY does nobody on the republican side bring up impeachment!!!!? This communist should be tried for treason, convicted and sentenced!!!!!

(Quote): "States model federalism for children by setting standards, tests, and curriculum. But that important lesson in self-government will be another unintended casualty of this standards overhaul now that the federal government is overreaching to set the educational terms for local schools—contrary to the spirit of the Constitution and the letter of federal law, which expressly prohibits federal involvement in standards, tests, and curriculum."

"But that important lesson in self-government will be another unintended casualty"…What is that? Another "well maybe they don't mean it"?

In the midst of showing how the so-called "Obama Administration (Regime)" especially means every bit of their so-called "Progressive/Leftist" big National (not Constitutional Federal) government take-over loving agenda?

Stop playing out in the "middle of the road" like that! Didn't our mothers tell us not to play out in the middle of the road, even a little bit?

It's past time to stop handing such as Obama and his so-called "Administration (Regime)" such openings of even looking or sounding so easily turned into Road-Kill, even for a second!

Such so-called "Progressive/Leftist" government centralized planning command-and-control freaks as the Obama so-called "Administration (Regime)" has already repeatedly shown and proven what diabolically misleading, power and money-grabbing, freedom, resource, and security robbing destruction they can wreak, including through their using what even looks and sounds like such a "maybe they don't mean that to happen" allowance , and use it to mislead and wreak such destruction even more and even faster!

That includes the Obama so-called “Administration’s (Regime’s)” so-called "Progressive/Leftist" antics and machinations which promote the dumbing-down of America and their "the Constitution limits government too much" and practically anti-parental authority and rights agenda, which they must perpetrate and through which they must prevail in order for them rule with their so-called "Progressive/Leftist" government growing, liberty decreasing ways, which, as already repeatedly shown and proven throughout history, not only show and prove how "as government grows, liberty decreases" as even Thomas Jefferson said, but also shows and proves how freedom and excellence both depend upon freely and truly educated people free to excel, including through individual excellence, without government centralized control, as our founding fathers also knew.

[…] I’ve thought long and hard about the matter, and believe that the price for adopting Common Core is too high. Colorado can continue to move forward on education reform and make tough decisions without the major federal entanglement it would entail. I agree with the Heritage Foundation’s Lindsey Burke: […]

I have to say, the few I looked at there was a lot of concern, which I also share, but also know some things that maybe I missed in the letters I didn't really take time to read, and that is this, First of all, we know that for those of us who are Called by His Name, that things are not going to get better, and this certainly is headed in that direction, but we should not give up hope, and we need to pray, work and help those organizations that serve the LORD, in those areas of our concerns, i.e. Alliance Defense Fund, and related legal ministries that are Christian in purpose. Then we need to check out our own lives, those who have children in schools, and those who have those young singles, and newly wed families with young children to do all they can to help work together as in the Tea Parties, and what ever else is out there to support the Conservatives, cause, for keeping our Educational standards to be acceptable for their much needed correct education, Homeschoolers need to have the support as well as be able to support those same causes, for the material that they are able to use for the education of their families . Seek out all those ministries that you know support these values of the Word of God, and for a healthy education that is for the betterement of the lives of the children. Remember there are ministries out there that can help, but they need the support of the public who does Believe in God to keep strong, in the econmomy that we do have we must not forget those Christian services that we do tend to take for granted, and that can not be done. We need to return to the healthy education practices that taught us the right course of action to take, as our forefathers did follow . This is America, and it needs the help of the LORD, to do what is best and know that it will be a battle in many areas to keep it what it should be, and not what it is becoming . That is in many fields, physical, in the academics, business world, and in the CHURCHES today, there is also a battle going on as well. The spiritual areas are also important for the public to realize, with so much of the negative version being 'popularized' on tv, it is sad that so many don't realize that is also a 'reality' not just fantasy as many would have you to believe. The evil spiritual matters are doing what they can to 'pull the wool' over our eyes to keep us from having the positive affect on the rest that is much needed. Know that the gov. is also a part of that. If any have read in Daniel of the Angels that were in battle they represented different countries by the way, and don't think that America has anything less than one for each side for here too. That battle is also raging strong here, as you can see for yourself with what is happening in the local areas news, as well as the national level and international one too. So we need to remember to Pray, work to help one another to achieve what is on God's agenda, to serve Him, and bring as many lost souls to His Kingdom as possible, and know that we are Pleasing Him in the process. It is a long term job, not a quick spring around the track of life once. May He help all who are seeking to do what is most needed for this country.

(Quote): "States model federalism for children by setting standards, tests, and curriculum. But that important lesson in self-government will be another unintended casualty of this standards overhaul now that the federal government is overreaching to set the educational terms for local schools—contrary to the spirit of the Constitution and the letter of federal law, which expressly prohibits federal involvement in standards, tests, and curriculum."

"But that important lesson in self-government will be another unintended casualty".

Do I misunderstand or is that a "well maybe they don't mean that to happen" in the midst of showing how the so-called "Obama Administration (Regime)" especially means every bit of their "Progressive/Leftist" big National (not Constitutional Federal) government take-over loving agenda?

It’s been truly said that “To allow any opening to the enemy is to indulge in such lack of vigilance as to present him with another opportunity to wreak surprise and destruction upon us, including in the dark of night when sleep beckons and he would have it so” (source not recalled).

Yes, “enemy”, as we are in an historical “war of ideas”, and ideas have consequences.

In this case the enemy is the so-called "Progressive/Leftist" government centralized planning command-and-control freaks, such as, but not limited to, Obama, his so-called "Administration (Regime)", and accomplices currently controlling Congress, all of whom have already repeatedly shown and proven what diabolically misleading, destructive, power and money-grabbing, freedom, resource, and security robbing they can perpetrate, including through their using any lack of vigillance, no matter how seemingly small or insignificant, and use it to perpetrate even more of their misleading power and money-grabbing against our Constitution, which limits government as Obama complains, and the rule of law which prohibits their doing so, as in this case.

But then what else would such “Progressives” engage in but such antics and machinations of theirs which don’t exactly prevent the dumbing-down of America, which doesn’t exactly help expose and guard against their "the Constitution limits government too much" and anti-parental authority and rights agenda, which they must promote and impose in order for them to prevail and rule with their so-called "Progressive/Leftist" government growing, liberty decreasing ways.

Of course such a government power-grabbing agenda, and the antics and machinations used to promote and impose it, are already repeatedly exposed and shown by the lessons of history which show the fact that "as government grows, liberty decreases" as even Thomas Jefferson said, and how freedom and excellence both depend upon freely and truly educated or informed people free to excel, including through individual excellence, without government centralized control, which is something most of our founding fathers also knew, as shown by our founding documents.

Any federal guidelines should never usurp a States right to set it's own educational goals. Let those states who attempt to set higher standards use that as a marketing tool. I will take exception to the author's contention that California has high standards. It did at one time, not anymore.

I believe your argument, but I can see how it would be unconvincing to 'doubters.' How can a minimum standard — especially if it leans towards mediocre rather than excellent — possibly hurt people?

This case needs to be made loud and clear. Perhaps research the specific standards and quote them in your future articles— I bet you'll find in it required education that a family *can* consist of two moms or two dads (why not 5 moms, while we're at it :). Another argument: a time-plot showing quality of education on the Y axis and the introduction of the Department of Education and other factors.

TerraGirl made an important comment. She has it totally correct that the federal education standards shouldn't trump states' rights to set educational standards. In fact, the constitution clearly gives the states all powers not explicitly given to the federal level by the constitution. End of argument. Get rid of the DOE.

But, moreover, I would argue that states that pile on their own standards do not, in fact, get better education. Look at the historical rise in standards and drop in education quality. We need to go easy on the standards and instead hire good teachers and drop bad ones. The Teachers' Unions aren't helping us get good education. Get rid of the unions. Local control by the parents and PTAs.

[…] firms are by definition more streamlined than any program that the Department of Education could ever generate. Restaurants and merchants must make us happy if they wish to avoid being devoured. Keeping both […]

[…] Race to the Top program only takes power from the people and local government and hands it over to federal bureaucrats. The problem with this? We already have a federal Department of Education, […]

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